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Applying Gap Analysis Towards the Protection of an Endangered Species of Minnow (Notropis topeka) in South Dakota

STEVEN S. WALL
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, South Dakota State
University, Brookings

CARMEN M. BLAUSEY
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, South Dakota State
University, Brookings

JONATHAN A. JENKS
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, South Dakota State
University, Brookings

AND CHARLES R. BERRY, JR.
U. S. Geological Survey, South Dakota Cooperative Research Unit,
South Dakota State University, Brookings

Introduction
The Topeka shiner ( Notropis topeka ) is a minnow (family Cyprin-
idae) found in low-order streams in six Great Plains states (Iowa,
Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota). The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service listed the species as endangered in 1999
(Tabor 1998). The species has declined because of habitat deterio-
ration and predation by stocked fish.

We are applying GAP procedures (Scott et al. 1993) to aid resource
managers in protecting the Topeka shiner. Since the South Dakota
GAP project began in 1997, we have completed digital maps of
mammal distributions, land cover (eastern South Dakota), and stew-
ardship. We are expanding the GAP study to include aquatic eco-
systems, using the Topeka shiner study as a pilot project. We report
here our progress after one field season.

The goal of our study is to analyze the habitat at locations where
the Topeka shiner has been historically found, and use the data to
predict river reaches where the species may be present or absent.
Specific objectives are to:

1. Measure local habitat and landscape features at Topeka shiner
sites.
2. Compare Topeka shiner habitat features to maps of these fea-
tures available in GIS databases.
3. Conduct fish sampling in areas suggested by mapping.

Life History of the Topeka Shiner
The ecology of the Topeka shiner is not well known. Oldest indi-
viduals are usually three years of age and have grown to about 7 cm
long. Topeka shiners prey on benthic invertebrates and spawn over
silt-free substrates in spring. A striking characteristic of the spe-
cies is the bright reddish-orange coloration of the breeding male.
In South Dakota, the shiner has been found in tributaries of the

James, Vermillion, and Big Sioux rivers east of the Missouri River
(Figure 1). Topeka shiners also have been recorded from down-
stream portions of tributaries to the Missouri River (e.g., Grand
River) in western South Dakota (Beckman and Elrod 1971).

Figure 1. Watersheds where Topeka shiners were found during 1999
field season.

The preferred habitat of Topeka shiners has not been definitively
determined, but the species may prefer prairie streams with good
water quality (Tabor 1998). Topeka shiners have been found in
pool habitats that are maintained by perennial flows or groundwa-
ter seepage (Pflieger 1975, Cross and Collins 1995). Stream bot-
toms range from silt to cobble (Tabor 1998).

Prairie streams of eastern South Dakota typically have highly vari-
able flow rates, and some streams are intermittent (Poff and Ward
1989). Fish communities in such streams are largely affected by
abiotic factors (Poff and Ward 1989), which may be systemic (e.g.,
climate) or local (e.g., channel shape). The methods below de-
scribe how we plan to apply GAP procedures, using systemic and
local variables that affect fish distribution, to determine the habitat
requirements of Topeka shiners and the probable distribution of the
species.

Methods and Progress
The study can be divided into two parts (Figure 2). One part in-
volves the collection and analysis of field data to measure local
habitat and landscape features at locations where the Topeka shiner
has been recently found (Braaten 1993, Cunningham 1999). The
second part involves GIS analysis to predict streams where Topeka
shiners might be found.

Figure 2. Diagram showing the methods to be used for modeling the
distribution of Topeka shiners.

Field Methodology - A total of 31 historical sites were sampled
during the 1999 field season. At each site physical stream habitat,
hydrology, water quality conditions, and landscape features were
measured (see Simonson et al. 1993 and Platts et al. 1983 for meth-
odology). Fish were collected by seining. The abiotic and biotic
variables will be analyzed to determine the habitat affinities and
the fish community associations of the Topeka shiner. A similar
study was conducted by Matthews (1985) to classify sites inhab-
ited by eight common midwestern stream fishes. The habitat af-
finities will be incorporated into a model to predict the distribution
of Topeka shiners.

We found Topeka shiners at 60% of the historic sites visited in 1999.
Sample size of Topeka shiners ranged from 1 to 95 per site. Topeka
shiners were found with 9 to 17 other fish species (Table 1). The
fish community was dominated by cyprinids (minnows). Red shin-
ers and sand shiners were present in large numbers at all sites where
we found Topeka shiners. Predators were not commonly associ-
ated with Topeka shiners, with the exception of orange-spotted sun-
fish and green sunfish, which may provide silt-free gravel for To-
peka shiner spawning (Pflieger 1975).

Table 1. Fish community found in watersheds where Topeka shiners were present.

GIS Analysis - Field data will be combined with climatic and
hydrogeomorphic variables for GIS analysis. The procedures we
are using closely follow those proposed by Sowa (1999a) for aquatic
gap analysis. The first step involves determining what attributes or
driving variables are most important for shaping the distribution of
aquatic communities (Higgins et al. 1999) in eastern South Dakota.
Expert opinion indicated that these variables were hydrology, to-
pography, geology, climate, and landscape.

The next step involves identifying an assessment element. The as-
sessment element that will be used in our study is valley segment
type (Sowa 1999a), which will be delineated using The Nature
Conservancy’s hierarchical classification system (Lammert et al.
1996). Valley segment types will be delineated by combining hy-
drological, topographical, geological, and climatic variables in a
GIS environment to predict the potential biological community of
each specific stream segment for eastern South Dakota.

Once the valley segment types are delineated, the next step involves
selecting valley segments that might contain suitable Topeka shiner
habitat. A list of habitat affinities for the Topeka shiner will be
generated from the associated attributes found in the field and
through GIS analysis of valley segments where Topeka shiners are
present. Valley segments that match the habitat affinities of Topeka
shiners will be queried out and classified as having high, moderate,
or low potential for Topeka shiners.

The next step involves determining which of these valley segments
classified as potential Topeka shiner habitat are in areas that are
considered “high quality.” The quality of an area will be deter-
mined by comparing landscape features such as land cover, land
use, stewardship, water quality, and physical modifications with
valley segments using GIS analysis (Sowa 1999b).

Future Plans
Once we identify valley segments that might have Topeka shiner
habitat, a field survey will be performed to verify the predictive
power of the model and detect any errors of omission or commis-
sion. GIS analysis will continue by comparing the location of
streams and watersheds that could potentially contain Topeka shin-
ers with land stewardship maps to identify any “gaps” in the pro-
tection of the shiner.

Conclusion
Sparse collections of a rare animal can hamper a study, so we were
happy to find that Topeka shiners were fairly common and wide-
spread. We expect that applying gap analysis techniques to the

Topeka shiner data will be fruitful. However, the flat topography
and lack of some basic geologic, hydrologic, and water quality data
may make aquatic gap analysis difficult. Federal and state agen-
cies have specific needs that can be met by GAP products. The
identification of streams and watersheds that contain high-quality
Topeka shiner habitat will help determine critical habitat and fur-
ther determine the distribution of the shiner. The recognition of
“gaps” in land/water use management will enable agencies to de-
cide where best to implement conservation priorities to effectively
protect the Topeka shiner. Finally, maps classifying streams as high-,
moderate-, or low-quality habitat for Topeka shiners will allow
agencies to streamline the endangered species consultation process.

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